'Bold leader' resigns from council role

A council chief executive has announced he is to step down after six years in the role.

Robin Porter was officially appointed to the role at Luton Council in May 2019.

Mr Porter, who will leave in three months' time, cited personal reasons for his decision, but said it had been "the honour of my life to serve this brilliant organisation and our amazing town".

He said that despite the challenges faced by the council, in common with many local authorities in the coming years, he was confident that it would "continue to drive the change Luton needs and help deliver our central 2040 mission of eradicating poverty".

Hazel Simmons, Labour leader of the council, said it had been "a pleasure" to work alongside Mr Porter.

"His bold leadership, particularly around the Luton 2040 vision, has helped position Luton as a trailblazer in driving inclusive growth and tackling inequalities," she said.

"I will be eternally grateful for his work in steering the organisation through a global pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis, and sustained financial pressures on our services.

"His legacy will leave the organisation much better equipped to face these types of challenges in the future."

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